CES 2011 is lousy with tablets and 3D HDTVs, but Razer is showing something on the show floor that is pretty unique. At a glance you might take the Switchblade for conventional netbook, albeit one with a wicked design. Dig a little deeper an you will find a portable PC-gaming platform that could give the Sony Playstation Portable and Nintendo DS lines a run for their money, if only it was more than a prototype.

The Switchblade runs on an Intel Atom processor, but that doesn't mean it couldn't get a little help on the graphics side from an Ion-based GPU. Although it opens like a laptop, the screen is multitouch and the keyboard will dynamically reconfigure itself depending on the game you are playing.

"The main problem with mobile PC gaming so far is that no one has been able to port the full mouse and keyboard experience onto a small size portable solution," said Min-Liang Tan, CEO and Creative Director of Razer in a statement. "By combining adaptive on-the-fly controls and display, we managed to maintain the full tactile keyboard in a miniature computer while saving valuable screen estate."

The prototype was designed by Razer, with some help from Intel, to show how the PC could make a compelling mobile gaming platform. Judging from the buzz at the show, it seems to have worked.

Check our slideshow for more images of the device. This promotional video is also pretty exciting, but remember, it is just a prototype.

About the Author

Dan Costa is the Editor-in-Chief of PCMag.com and the Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff-Davis. He oversees the editorial operations for PCMag.com, Geek.com, ExtremeTech.com as well as PCMag's network of blogs, including AppScout and SecurityWatch. Dan makes frequent appearances on local, national, and international news programs, including ... See Full Bio

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